Former First Lady Melania Trump is letting the world know that her answer is an unequivocal no when it comes to allowing male athletes to compete in women’s sports.
In an excerpt from her new book, Melania, the 54-year-old former model, made it clear that while she supports the LGBTQIA community, inclusion cannot and should not have priority over the principle of fairness on the playing field.
“Male bodies generally have physical advantages – muscle strength, height, bone density, and lung capacity – that can affect fairness in competition, even at the high school level,” she wrote. “High school athletes often dedicate years to training with the hope of being recruited by universities. Seeing that dream collapse is an unnecessary and avoidable consequence.”
In her new book, the former first lady also sheds light on the fact that there are groups seeking to enforce their “ideologies” who are behind the push to infiltrate male athletes in women’s sports.
“Today, some groups attempt to impose their ideologies on everyone, deepening the divisions in our society. One example is the ongoing debate over trans inclusion in sports, specifically when male-born athletes who identify as female compete against women,” she writes in Melania. “Some argue that the number of trans-athletes is low, but even one can upset the balance in a female league or tournament due to these physical advantages.”
The former first lady continued, “I fully support the LGBTQIA+ community. But we must also ensure that our female athletes are protected and respected. This issue also has broader implications, including the loss of future earning potential as professional athletes and a potential setback for equal pay in sports.”
Former President Trump has remained a staunch advocate against allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports.
Not only has he frequently spoken about his opposition to allowing males to compete against women, but he has also launched attack ads targeting Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, for their support of trans inclusion in women’s sports.
Trump has also brought former star Kentucky swimmer and outspoken Save Women’s Sports advocate Riley Gaines on a campaign stop in Arizona.
“They don’t believe in school choice; they don’t believe in parental rights or the safeguarding of children; they don’t believe in freedom unless it’s the freedom to have an abortion or chemically and surgically castrate children,” Gaines said at the event. “You have one ticket that knows what a woman is and has vowed to take decisive action at protecting our sex-based rights, compared to the other ticket that thinks men can become pregnant and that tampons belong in boys’ bathrooms.”